“All right, Lins, you’re up at bat first,” Mav said before he trotted off to first base.
Her heart was racing as she selected a bat and slowly approached home plate. She prayed she didn’t completely fail. That would really suck in front of her heroes.
“Ready?” Jonathan Arturo Aro called and her heart beat a bit faster. The very talented Mariners pitcher was talking to her.
“I think so,” she said in a choked voice.
He gave her a grin that nearly made her faint, and then he leaned back.
The first ball whipped by so fast she didn’t even see it, just heard the sound of it hitting the mitt behind her. In astonishment she turned around and looked at the catcher who was grinning ear to ear.
“Doesn’t that hurt?” she gasped.
He smiled even bigger as he stood up and threw the ball back, not quite as fast, but pretty dang quickly, in her opinion, before winking at her through the mask he was wearing.
“Nah. He wasn’t even putting any real heat in it,” Steve Clevenger replied.
“Dang. If that wasn’t putting heat into it, I don’t want to see what he can really do,” she mumbled.
“Okay, quit showing off now, Jon,” Mav yelled from first base.
“Ah, I was going easy on her, Mav,” Jon yelled back.
“She’s already taken, so give up the showboating,” Mav called back.
Lindsey’s head whipped back and forth at the exchange. Then Jon laughed and got back into position, so she returned to a batting stance and waited. The next ball went much slower, and she was satisfied when the bat connected and the ball went soaring through the air.
Dropping the bat, she ran as hard as she could while Mav stood on the base, waiting to tag her out. When she landed before the ball, she knew the players were letting her get away with it, but she didn’t care. This was way too much fun and she didn’t want to be sent to the dugout.
“You didn’t tell me you were a baseball superstar,” Mav said as she edged off the base a couple of feet and waited to hit second.
“We all have secrets,” she said, moving another couple of inches toward second.
Then so fast she almost missed it, Jon turned and threw the ball to Mav, making her drop down and slide back to the base before he tagged her out. Her forward motion was too fast, though, and she connected with Mav’s legs.
The ball went flying and Mav teetered in the air before toppling over, landing right on top of her. The breath rushed from her lungs and then the field faded away as their eyes connected.
“If you wanted me on top of you, all you had to do was ask,” he murmured before closing the gap between them and taking her lips hard and fast.
Lindsey was completely enchanted by him, forgetting all about the game—until she heard the catcalls from the other players.
Mortified by what she was doing, Lindsey pushed against Mav’s chest, and with obvious reluctance, he pulled back, his eyes heated and confused.
“Do you two want some privacy?” Jon called out through laughter.
Mav got his wits back and scrambled to his feet to help her up. The scarlet hue on her cheeks was enough to guide a sleigh as the game resumed, along with a bunch of snickers from the guys.
Though there was a lot more flirting going on the rest of the evening, Lindsey took it in stride. This team was a group of really great guys with pretty dang big hearts.
When it was all over she was disappointed to leave. But she didn’t walk away empty-handed. The team signed her jersey, insisting she leave it on while they did it, making her giggle and causing Mav to scowl. They gave her some baseballs and other gear and told her she’d better come back and visit them again.
She’d thought dog walking had been the best day ever, but playing baseball at Safeco Field would be unbeatable. She felt almost in another world as she rode back to her cottage with Maverick.
She even allowed Mav to hold her hand as he walked her to her door, not once trying to pull it away. She wasn’t sure how the evening was going to end—or how she wanted it to end. He’d already kissed her a few times now. And she was sort of hoping for another kiss as they reached her door.
But then the door swung open.
“Did you two have a good evening?”
Sherman was standing there, holding Princess in his arms as he grinned at both of them ear to ear.
“It was amazing. We played baseball with the Mariners,” she told him, feeling all the excitement all over again.
“There’s nothing quite like being on a major league field, is there?” Sherman asked her as Princess wiggled in his arms to be let down.
“Have you done that before?” she asked, taking Princess in her arms. Lindsey was immediately attacked with kisses as Princess squirmed her greetings.
“What are you doing here, Uncle Sherm?” Maverick asked as he followed Lindsey into the house.
“I showed up to visit with Cooper, and when the kids got tired I told them I’d watch Princess until you two got home.”
“That was thoughtful.” Though Mav said the words, Lindsey was picking up on some weird vibes between uncle and nephew. She wasn’t quite sure what that was all about.
“I’m a helpful guy,” Sherman said with a wink.
“I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about this evening. I’ll leave you youngsters alone. I did leave out a bottle of wine for an after-date drink, though,” he said with a sly smile as he gathered up his coat.
“It wasn’t a date. We were speaking to the manager about the fund-raiser,” Lindsey was quick to point out.